Difference between Crush and Love
by Louisse
Summary: AU Love... What does it mean? Fifteen year old Haruno Sakura is what you call a nerd. A bookworm. Always bullied. And has never even felt love.. SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno
1. We're Best Friends!

**Difference between Crush and Love **

**Chapter 1. We're Best Friends!**

Haruno Sakura is just an ordinary high school student. She has many friends but her one best friend was Yamanaka Ino. They met when they were still very young. Their friendship lasted for many years. And now that they are fifteen years old, they are still the best of friends. They shared their deepest secrets together and the bond that they shared was so strong that they could be mistaken for sisters or twins. You couldn't see one without the other. One couldn't separate the both of them. Not even their parents. But of course their parents approve of their friendship.

They even went to the same school just so they could be together. There, they made a lot of friends because of their personalities. Ino was quite outgoing — the total opposite of Sakura. She was also cheerful and a bit talkative but friendly all the same. Sakura, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved. Still, they make a good team. Ino stands up to anyone who bullies Sakura while Sakura calms her down when she gets really angry.

Ino likes to dress sophisticated. Sakura likes to dress simple. Sakura wears glasses because her favorite pastime is reading books. They also have long hair. Ino's hair was tied back by a ponytail while Sakura's was bushy and tangled. She doesn't bother to fix it because it's hard to manage. And it looks really oily. To put it shortly, her hair was hideous.

Their school was the Gakuen Tohoku. It was just an average school but a fairly large one at that. It was rectangular in shape and there is a courtyard in the middle. This is where the gardens were located. The students go there for breaks. The school was beautiful. There were trees all around. Its location was perfect.

The halls were wide. The floors were spic and span. The janitors do their jobs well. There were bulletin boards along the corridors and the doors were well kept. Everything was in order. You could assume that this particular school is prestigious and had high standards of education. And this is where our story takes place.

--

Ino walked up to Sakura's front door. She knocked. It was opened by Sakura's mom who was wearing an apron. She was probably washing the dishes for the morning.

"Good morning, Ino. Sakura is just upstairs. You could go up if you want to," said Sakura's mom.

"Arigatou gozaimasu. I'll just call her 'cause we're going to be late for our first day," replied Ino.

Ino ran up the stairs to Sakura's bedroom. She opened the door and saw Sakura combing her hair. She was already dressed up for school. Their uniform was composed of a white blouse with collar, a maroon necktie with a slash of light gray in the middle, and a light gray pleated skirt.

"Hey, Sakura. If you're going to keep on combing your hair that _slow_, we're _never_ gonna reach school on time! Look, it's already 6:30 and we still have to walk to school," said Ino.

"Okay, Ino. I'll just grab my bag and we're off. So just wait for a few moments," said Sakura. She wants everything to be clean and organized.

Soon, they were out walking briskly in the direction of their new school. It was rush hour. Cars were driving down the road at great speed. People were on the sidewalks hurrying to get to their offices. So as to keep themselves from getting bored, they started a conversation.

"Ino, what do you expect of our new school?" asked Sakura.

"Well, I expect it to be very nice and I wish to join the cheerleading squad! I also think that there will be more cute guys there compared to our other school!" said Ino excitedly.

"Ino…" warned Sakura.

"Fine, fine. I should give priority to my studies first, I know. Don't start with the lecture. But what about our social lives! I don't think that we even have any because of you. You always are serious. Gee, Sakura. Don't you want to socialize with other people except me and our other friends that are _all girls_!" said Ino loudly.

"Ino! You don't have to shout. I'm not deaf, you know," said Sakura.

They reached the school at 6:45. They went to the registration and office and were given slips stating their homeroom. They have the same, of course.

Class Schedule:

7:20-8:40 – Science – Nikura Keio

8:40-9:40 – Gym - Maito Gai

9:40-10:00 - Recess

10:00-10:50 – Home Economics – Yuuhi Kurenai

10:50-11:50 – English - Hatake Kakashi

11:50-12:30 – History - Sarutobi Asuma

12:30-1:20 – Japanese - Mitarashi Anko

1:20-1:30 - Study Period

1:30-2:30 – Mathematics - Gekkou Hayate

They went around and looked for it. They came upon First Year – B. they entered the room and saw students scattered around the room. Some were sitting on the tables; some were leaning against the wall; some were on the chairs. They were all talking to each other so the room was very noisy. They quickly took the seats near the window in front of the teacher.

"I wonder who our adviser will be. I hope it will be Kakashi-sensei. He is really cool," said a boy.

"Well, I want Kurenai-sensei to be our teacher because she is so smart," said a girl.

"Gai-sensei is the best! He is so cool! I want to be like him someday," said a boy with thick eyebrows dreamily.

The teacher entered the room. It was a woman. She looked young but was old enough to be a teacher. She had kept her hair long enough to reach her waist. It was of a light shade of brown. Her eyes were hazel. And she was also of fair complexion. As soon as she had entered the room, the class became quiet and went to their seats. Sakura, realizing that they still don't have a class president, stood up. Everyone noticed her and followed suit.

"Good morning, everyone. You may take your seats," said she.

"Thank you, teacher," chorused everyone.

"As you can see, I'm a new teacher here so I will state my expectations from you. First of all, I do not want you to interrupt me when I am speaking. Second, even though I tend to joke around sometimes respect must always be there. I could also be your friend here in school. When you have problems, you could always come to me and I'll help you. I will listen to your problems may it be personal. So, any questions?" said the teacher.

A girl raised her hand. "Sensei, I was just wondering if you could tell us your name?"

"Oh, I forgot."

The class sweatdropped. The teacher wrote her name on the board.

"I am Nikura Keio. But you could call me 'Kei' for short. Is there anything else you would like to know about me?"

"How old are you, madam?"

"Well, I am 25 and still single."

The class laughed. The teacher continued.

"But not available."

A series of 'oohhh's were heard from the class. The teacher chuckled.

"You don't have to be disappointed because I found _him_," said Keio mysteriously.

"Who! Who!"

"Tell us, please!"

"Nuh-uh. I want to keep it a secret from you," said she, smiling.

Some students pouted. Keio decided to get down to business.

"I can see that your class is made up of about twenty students. Let's start with the introductions. Now, get a one-eighth sheet of paper and write your name on it. Fold it lengthwise and pass it in front."

The class did as they were told. When Keio received all the papers, the class waited for whatever she is planning to do.

"Okay, I will randomly pick a piece of paper and whose is called will stay in front and tell us about himself or herself."

The teacher picked a piece and the boy with thick eyebrows went in front.

"So, tell us anything about yourself," said Keio.

"I am Rock Lee. And my idol is Gai-sensei. He is the best teacher in the whole wide world! That's all."

"I-I a-am Hyuuga Hi-Hinata. And, umm…" said a girl who looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.

"Hi! I'm Yamanaka Ino. I just transferred here and I hope that we could be friends!" said Ino.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I am going to become the best athlete here in this school!" said a blonde-haired boy.

"I'm Nara Shikamaru," said a bored-looking boy.

"My name is Tenten. I like weapons of all sorts," said a girl with her hair fixed in two buns.

"Hi! I'm Haruno Sakura. Ino and I just transferred here. We came from the Gakuen Ritsumeikan. We are best friends," said Sakura with a bright smile. She adjusted her glasses before going back to her seat beside Ino.

"I'm Hyuuga Neji. I prefer to be alone," said a boy with long hair and white eyes.

"Uchiha Sasuke," said a raven-haired boy with emotionless eyes. As he looked at the class, girls screamed and giggled. Some whispered to each other. Very few kept quiet. Boys glared at him.

The introductions carried on. The adviser gave them time to get better acquainted. Ino, followed by Sakura, rose from her seat to look for people. She spotted Hinata sitting on her desk alone so she told Sakura to come with her.

"Sakura, look. There's a girl who is by herself. Let's go and befriend her," said Ino to Sakura.

"Yeah, she seems a bit withdrawn. Let's go," said Sakura.

The two girls went to where Hinata was sitting. They sat beside her.

"Hey, you're Hinata, ne? Let's talk," invited Sakura.

"Thank you. You two are really nice. I had studied here since my elementary days so I know my way around," said Hinata. She felt comfortable with Sakura and Ino. She doesn't feel so shy anymore when she's with them but in front of other people it's different. Maybe she could even be friends with them.

"That's cool! Maybe you could show us around sometime. We would really appreciate it if you do," said Ino.

"Sure. It's no problem at all. It will be great to have friends. You see, I don't really have friends because they think I'm so quiet," said Hinata.

"Wow. You're just like me. I was very quiet until Ino came along. Well, we quiet people should stick together don't you think?" said Sakura.

Ino cleared her throat. "Excuse me. I'm not like you two," she said jokingly.

"Except Ino," continued Sakura.

"So from now on, we will be a circle of friends! And Hinata you can tell us anything you want to," said Ino.

The three friends kept talking and by the end of the period, they know lots about each other. After that was recess. Everybody was supposed to go down and take their break in the Domestic Science Laboratory or DSL for short.

In this lab, there are two gas ranges and several big tables where all the freshmen could fit. This includes First Year - A. There are only two sections for the freshmen year.

The trio found their seats and took out their packed lunches. They eagerly ate their meal. They even shared their food with one another.

_This is going to be the greatest first day I've ever had!_ thought Sakura.

The day passed on, uneventful. Ino took her bike, Sakura and Hinata their skates. They rode home and found that they were in the same neighborhood.

"Oh, this is so cool! We can hang out with each other and maybe even have study sessions. This is too exciting for words!" squealed Ino.

"Just when did you study, Ino?" teased Sakura.

"I can too, but only if I want to!" countered Ino.

Sakura sped up a bit, resulting in her being in the lead. Hinata was behind her and Ino was at the last and wasn't at all pleased with the order. She pedaled hard so she can catch up but Sakura and Hinata just sped up more. It was frustrating her. Unbeknownst to her, Sakura and Hinata had smiles on their faces obviously enjoying the ride.

_Oh, my. This is so much fun! This is so great. I have made two new friends on the first day of classes. Who knows? Maybe I'll make more._ thought Hinata.

"Hey, Hinata! If you don't watch where you're going you might miss your house," warned Sakura.

Hinata snapped out of it and realized that they were nearing her home. She waved goodbye to Ino and Sakura and removed her skates. She walked up to her front door and was welcomed home by her mom.

"So, Hinata, How was it?" asked her mom, smiling.

"It was great, Mom! I made new friends," said Hinata.

"That's good to hear," said her dad who just appeared beside her mother. He was watching television in the living room and came to see how his daughter had fared the first day.

Hinata nodded and ran up the stairs. She got to her room and quickly put her bag down. She booted her computer and got online. She checked if she had any mail that day. None. She disconnected and started to work on her homework.

--

Sakura got home. Her house wasn't very far from Hinata's. In fact, Hinata was only three houses away on her right. Ino's house, however, was a bit far. It was five houses away on the other side of the street.

She opened the door and kissed her mother who was in the kitchen. She walked up the stairs and flopped down on her bed. She lay for some time then decided to change out of her uniform. She wanted to finish her homework early so she can do her chores. She was a smart girl so she had an easy time doing homework. There were times when she even tutors Ino.

As she was about to finish, the phone rang in the hall. Her mother had answered it and shouted, "Sakura, it's for you!"

She got up and took it. She heard Ino's voice. It was loud and she bet that her parents heard it from wherever they are in the house.

"Yes, Ino? What do you want?" asked Sakura.

"Sakura! I just had an idea. What about the three of us go to the bookstore tomorrow afternoon? We could see some of their books," said Ino.

"Yeah, sure. I ran out of books to read anyway. And besides, I could buy some references for our lessons," answered Sakura.

"Okay! I'll just call Hinata and ask if she wants to come. Bye!"

--

_Author's notes:_

Sorry I had to end it there. Don't worry. Other characters will have roles as the story progresses. The characters I didn't mention in the introductions are in First Year – A. There will also be a lot of activities in their school year. It may sound boring at first but there will be some pairings soon. And people who don't like the story, there is nothing you can do! Suggestions are welcome as long as it doesn't concern the plot.


	2. I Hate Bullies!

**Difference between Crush and Love**

**Chapter 2. I Hate Bullies!**

Sakura dressed up for school. As she did, she had thought about a lot of things. These were regarding her first day of school. So far, she had only made one new friend. That was Hinata. She was extremely shy so it was good that she hangs out with her and Ino. They could teach her a thing or two in making friends.

She sighed. She couldn't do anything about her hair. It really was messy and very hard to manage so she didn't bother fixing it. It was fine the way it was (to her). Her glasses were very big and they were quite expensive so she didn't take the initiative to buy another one to replace the one she currently wears. It was such a trouble to find glasses that were fine in appearance.

Now, to the people she met on her first day. Tenten was a strong girl. She said that she liked weapons. That was unusual for a girl. But all in all, she was alright. Maybe Sakura could befriend her.

Rock Lee was quite shocking. His words were kind of like old-fashioned. It was like he read a lot of old novels full of deep English. Those words were seldom used nowadays. And his eyebrows completely distracted her. They were so thick! It was the first time that she had ever seen someone with eyebrows like that.

Naruto was loud. He liked to speak his mind. But he was clueless and naïve. He was a prankster. But maybe there was more to him than meets the eye.

Neji was quiet and a loner. Hinata said that he was her cousin but they weren't close. It seemed that she was afraid of him. Who wouldn't? I mean, he was somewhat superior to them. Maybe it was because the air surrounding him was strange.

Shikamaru was lazy and bored. Nothing seems to interest him. But they say that he was really smart with an IQ of about 200.

Sasuke. Almost all the girls liked him. She didn't understand why. He was a mysterious and cold boy like Neji. They were both loners. Students say that he was one of the best athletes in school. But who cares. He was just a boy.

Sakura was finally ready for school. She had promised Ino and Hinata that she would meet them at the waiting shed just around the corner. They would go to school together.

She got her bag and hurried down the stairs. She walked to the waiting shed. When she arrived there, she saw Hinata and Ino already waiting for her. Ino was tapping her foot impatiently. She was probably waiting for quite some time. Hinata was there too. She was smiling at Sakura.

"Hurry up, Sakura! We've been waiting here for who knows how long!" whined Ino.

"Okay, I'm coming," said Sakura.

"Alright! Let's go!" said Ino.

So they headed for the school. They arrived just in time and there were students scattered along the corridor. They passed by a group of some boys who looked like they want trouble. But of course the boys won't let them pass without first bullying them. The leader looked at them and saw Sakura as the target. She seemed like a bookworm. That was going to be easy.

"Well, well, well. What have we got here? A girl with roots for her hair! Now that's new," said the leader, Yasuhiro Nakura.

The two boys with him chuckled. "That's a good one, Nakura," said the assistant of the little gang, Shigeo Akahori.

"Hey! I have an idea! Why don't we pull the roots?" said the other boy, Shuichi Hirata.

"You can't do that to my friend! That's not right! What would you feel if somebody tried to do that to you!" shouted Ino.

"Oh. Nobody will. They are all afraid of us," said Nakura.

"Except maybe some boys from your class," muttered Hirata.

Sakura heard the mutter and wondered who they could be. The others, however, did not hear.

"Enough talking. Time for some action," said Akahori, obviously bored.

The boys advanced toward Sakura. But someone blocked their way. It was Tenten. She had heard Ino's shout and came to see what was happening. What she saw enraged her. She hates bullies. Especially if they're picking on girls. She had experienced it and she doesn't want others to go through the same thing. So she intervened.

"What do you think you're doing? This is a girl you're picking on. She's just new. Or have you sunk so low that you're now picking on girls?" said Tenten.

"What are you talking about? We're just having fun," said Nakura. He was irritated at this girl but he kept his cool.

"Having fun? Is this what you call having fun!" screamed Tenten.

"Mind your own business. This is ours. Now, go away and be a good girl," said Nakura.

"Make me."

"You don't want me to. You could really get hurt and cry like a baby," said Nakura.

"Shut up," said Tenten. Anger was building up inside of her. She wasn't going to let this pass. Not without the boys getting hurt real bad.

"Please, Tenten, stop," said Sakura softly. Her head was bowed. And she was clutching her books so tightly that her knuckles went white. She didn't want to cause trouble. "Let them be."

"You should listen to her, girl," said Akahori.

But his statement was unheard. Tenten was surprised to hear Sakura's request. She thought that she would fight back but she didn't. Sakura preferred to stay quiet and allow herself to be bullied. That was not the reaction she was expecting. Definitely not.

But Tenten was soft-hearted and listened to Sakura. She turned her back on the bullies and looked at her. Sakura showed inner strength. Inner strength was the ability to absorb it all in and not let anger eat you.

The bullies saw that they had nothing left to do there so they went to find some other student to bully. Ino and Hinata were thankful that Tenten came when she did. They really needed her help. They couldn't have handled it by themselves since they were more concerned with what Sakura was feeling than what the bullies were saying.

"Let's go in," said Hinata finally.

They went inside their room. They were greeted with so much noise that they had to cover their ears just to get to their seats. For the meantime, while their adviser was not present, they gathered around Tenten's and Ino's tables. They talked about certain things.

"So, Ino and Sakura. What do you think of our school? Does it pass your expectations or not? I think I know what Sakura's answer is. But what about you, Ino?" inquired Tenten.

"Well, I don't know yet because I had only seen very few people. But if they're the same as those bullies, I don't like them," answered Ino.

"What about the boys in our class? Do you like any of them?" asked Hinata.

"I think I like that Sasuke. I find him cute," said Ino blushing. But she thought Neji the same. Basically, she has a crush on the both of them but she kept her crush on Neji secret.

"Ino, how could you say that? It was just yesterday that you met him," said Sakura.

"So?" said Ino.

"So you don't know him that well. He may be some playboy or a stiff," said Sakura. She had to get some sense into Ino's head.

"Don't tell me that you don't like any boy. It was always like that. You never even had a crush for goodness' sake!" said Ino to Sakura.

"Sakura, is it true?" asked Hinata. She had a crush on Naruto for as long as she can remember. Sakura was worse than her. She was already a teenager yet she didn't have an eye for the opposite sex.

"Yeah, Sakura. How come you don't have a crush?" asked Tenten. She was eager to know and maybe persuade her to look at some boys.

"Come on, guys. We have to prioritize our studies first, you know," answered Sakura. She was getting really annoyed at these girls. Can't they see that she wasn't into boys?

"Whatever you say. But when you find him don't hesitate to tell us!" said Ino.

"Yeah," said Sakura. It was not like she was going to have any. She snorted. Nobody would even like her. She was hideous. She was a nerd. A bookworm. They would just despise her.

--

Sasuke entered the school gates. He was just on time. But as soon as he arrived, he was swarmed by girls. Some were asking for a date; some were trying to hug him. He tried to get away but failed.

Sakura was on her way to the girls' bathroom. She saw a big crowd in the middle of the corridor. She wondered what might be so interesting in there. She heard a shout.

"GET OFF ME! GO AWAY! I DON'T LIKE ANY OF YOU!"

"Oi! Sasuke-baka! It's time for class!" called Naruto.

It was Sasuke. The one Ino said she liked. Maybe Ino liked him for his looks. That was the only reason she came up with.

She decided to help him because they were blocking her way to the bathroom.

"Hey, girls! Look! It's the star of the current high-ranking show!" shouted Sakura.

The girls stopped. They turned around and ran to the entrance to look for the said person who, unluckily for them, wasn't there.

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief. But when he saw Sakura, he thought she was another fan girl.

"You're annoying," said Sasuke.

Sakura blinked. She had just saved him from the girls and here he was saying that she was annoying. The nerve!

"For your information, I'm not a fan girl of yours. I am merely on my way to the girls' bathroom. So if you'll excuse me," said Sakura.

Sasuke was surprised. It was the first time that a girl wasn't after him. She, in fact, even had the guts to stand up to him. He shook his head and went to his classroom.

Their adviser was already there. He greeted her and sat in his place. Naruto was there beside him.

"Hey, Sasuke. Had fun today?" said Naruto. He was grinning. He, of course, saw what happened.

"Shut up, dobe," said Sasuke.

Sakura entered the room. As she went to her seat, she glared at Sasuke. She didn't like him at all. He thought that he was better than everybody else. She was going to prove him wrong.

Classes began. All day, Sakura ignored Sasuke. Ino, however, was swooning over him. Tenten and Hinata were looking at their crushes. They haven't told the other girls about them.

Sakura actively participated in class recitations. She wanted to have good grades and be the topnotcher in their class. During breaks, she stayed in the library to study. Ino, Tenten, and Hinata accompanied her. But they first ate their lunch quickly before heading for the library. This became their daily routine.

In the library, Sakura strolled down an aisle looking for something interesting. That day, she asked the girls to go ahead and eat without her. She had a heavy breakfast so she won't be hungry. The other girls were worried but shook it off.

She walked past the Adventure section. But then she did a double take. There was a book that looked like it didn't belong there. It was old but not quite. She got it out and walked to an empty table. She opened it and looked through the pages. It was a book about a young girl who was so ugly that she never had friends. She cries every night wishing that somebody would care for her. She was an orphan so she lives with guardians who didn't like her at all. It was a story of how she bloomed and became very beautiful. She had moved to another place where she found true friends.

--

Sasuke spent his breaks in quiet places. He ate his meal near the computer lab, in particular. His secret was that he liked computers and wanted to know more about them. But students weren't allowed to go in there without permission form the principal so he just sat there and silently ate his lunch. His fan girls didn't know this hiding place so it was safe.

It was also his thinking place. If he wasn't in the mood, he'd go here and clear his mind.

--

Aside from reading books and surfing the net, Sakura also liked to play the piano and sing. She kept this to herself. Not even Ino, her closest friend, knew this. If she didn't feel like going to the library, she would go to the music room which was just beside the computer lab. She would play pieces there and sing.

When dismissal time comes, they would walk home together and chat about what happened during the day. But this afternoon, they were going to the bookstore. They invited Tenten as well. Each of them had their own gears. Tenten had a scooter. These bikes, skates, and scooters made it easier for them to go anywhere they want.

They arrived at the store and split up so they can look for books or magazines of their choice. Tenten went to the section where there were cooking books. Cooking was her hobby besides weapons. Hinata and Ino went to the novels while Sakura went to the fictions part of the store.

She found the book she saw at the library and was attracted to the story so she bought it together with some almanacs. Tenten bought a thick cooking book and Hinata and Ino had two books each. They went to the cashier and paid for their purchases.

Tenten went home to try cooking the recipes. Sakura also went home so she could start reading the story of the girl. Hinata had to hurry so her father won't get mad at her. And Ino just took her time to get home. She wasn't really fond of reading but there are firsts.

--

"Hiromi. Hmm, odd title. Oh, well. Better start reading," said Sakura to herself as she sat on her bed. She had changed to her night clothes. Supper was finished less than an hour ago. She planned to read at least two chapters tonight.

_Hiromi was hideous as they said. But inside she had the heart of an angel. Nobody saw it. Her parents had died because their boat had sunk. They were well off and they were to visit a business partner. Hiromi was about two years old at that time…_


	3. Gym Class! And a Soccer Game?

**Difference between Crush and Love**

**Chapter 3. Gym Class! And a Soccer Game?**

Tenten ran down the stairs. She needed to be in time for her Gym class. Gai-sensei was really strict when it comes to punctuality. She reached the girls' locker room. Luckily for her, there were still some girls changing into their gym clothes. She wondered what they were going to do today. She hoped it won't be too hard for her.

She went to her locker and did the combination. It unlocked and she got her clothes out. It consisted of white shirt with their school logo on the center and white jogging pants. She quickly changed. She liked this attire better than the school uniform. The school uniform was stuffy and it chokes her because the neck of the blouse was closed around hers. And she doesn't like dresses or skirts. Unlike Ino who just _loves_ to wear them. She didn't know what was so nice about wearing those things. It was uncomfortable.

She wants to be free to do what she wants. Nobody to order her around. May it be schoolmate or someone else.

Judging by her thoughts, she's the type of girl who is carefree. She's a free bird, not locked up in some cage. She always speaks her mind but backs off if she knows it would be pernicious to go on any longer. She had learned from her mistake in grade school.

Once, she saw a really ditzy girl and confronted her. She said that she wasn't at all pretty and that the air is polluted because of her perfume, if you would even call it perfume. She also said that she looks like a clown because of the thick makeup. Thick was an understatement. So the girl got very angry and stormed off to call her guards. It turned out that she was a member of a very rich family. Tenten almost got sued for saying those things which were the truth.

So now, she was extra careful in what she said. She avoided being in one of those situations again.

--

A boy with long hair and astoundingly white eyes sat on the bench in the open air. He was outside near the track fields. He was Hyuuga Neji, Uchiha Sasuke's rival for being the best—both in athletics and academic activities. He doesn't care much about people around him. He preferred to be alone. That was why he was the only one early enough for Gym to enjoy his seclusion before his classmates came and ruin the silence.

He had a lot on his mind. His father was dead. He was hated by most of his relatives. His mother wanted him to be happy. He didn't know what to do. It was either he follow his mom and be normal and happy or stay cold and keep quiet and emotionless. He wanted to be rid of his emotions so that he won't experience pain like when his father died. He'd rather be alone if that was the case.

As for girls, he also didn't want to mingle himself with them. Most of them were fans anyway. He didn't like the way they clearly showed admiration for that matter. He couldn't stand them. In Sasuke's words, they were annoying. But of course, they were alike in this aspect.

He enjoyed the silence. It makes him feel calm. It was times like this that he had the chance to be free from tiring things. Those tiring things include girls, schoolwork, and the like.

He hated to admit it but he really did miss his father. He was the only one who could truly understand what he feels. His mother was female so he can't confide in her like he could in his father when he was still alive. They were pretty tight. So it was a great loss for him when he died. He felt like he was alone in this world and he didn't like it one bit.

He wished that he could have a best friend. Someone to talk to. Someone to share problems with. Someone to help him.

That wish made him laugh. Who would want to befriend someone like him? He wasn't the social or friendly type. Besides, he didn't know how to act towards others. In fact, he didn't know how to act normal like youngsters his age do. Some had relationships when they reached the teenage years. He thought it wrong. They were very young to have those things. It was definitely not acceptable in his book.

Deep inside, he just wants care and friendship. He doesn't know this.

He suddenly felt cold. He knew it wasn't the wind. It was something else. It was him. He himself did it. He wallows in dark thoughts. He had rights to be happy even once in a while. Too bad, he didn't know how to be happy.

"I said I'd not be emotional but look at me. That is exactly what I'm doing right now," said Neji to himself.

--

Gai arrived and they waited for the other students to come. Soon enough, the boys came out from their locker room and followed by the girls some time later. When they were all complete, Gai explained to them what they were expected to accomplish during that period.

"Keep quiet, everyone. No whispers. Okay. Now, I want the boys to run laps like you usually do but this time try to run as many laps as you could. Girls, I want you to practice you gymnastics today. I'll assign one of you to lead the group," informed Gai.

Hanako was the one appointed to be the leader from then on. She was slim and rather friendly. She had brown hair tied into a braid. She was graceful as well.

"Right. So let's start with the basics first then we go on up," said Hanako, "Some girls get the hoops. Some get the ribbons and the others get whatever they want."

The girls went to the store room to get the materials. When they got back, Hanako taught them group by group. Tenten was included in the group with ribbons. She would have preferred ball but there was none left for her. She went up to her group and took her place. Hanako soon got to them and demonstrated a few stunts.

Tenten thought they were easy just by looking at how Hanako did it but it takes more than that. It needs grace and skill. She decided to imitate Hanako. Her body was not really flexible so she would have to work hard. At her first try, her body hurt slightly but she carried on not wanting to show that she wasn't as good as the others.

_Oh, gosh. I thought it would be pretty easy but this is so not it. I wonder if I could make it to my next class with a good back. Oh, well. This is it and there's no turning back. I'm going to show them that I'm good!_ thought Tenten.

--

The boys were weary. Running laps to test their endurance wasn't that nice. Some had only gotten two to three laps then gave up. Others wanted to show how great they were so they ran a few laps more. Neji was the last one to finish. Sasuke and the others were scheduled in a different class so it was easy for him. He liked it better when they weren't there in the fields. He didn't need to show off. Not that he does it really but he wanted to be better than anyone.

"Has everyone finished?" asked Gai.

"Yes, sir," said the boys.

"Oh, how good youth is!" exclaimed Gai, losing himself for the moment. He didn't mean for his class to hear that. It was improper. He earned stares from everyone. They were staring at him like he was some kind of a madman. Gai saw this and coughed.

"Very well then. As you should all know, I took records from each of you earlier. And I learned that some of you do not have much stamina. You know yourselves. I suggest you work on it. Okay, guys?" said Gai. Some boys nodded.

"And as I have seen, some of you are great! You may join the track team if you wish. I am completely pleased with the results so you may have a game of soccer," said Gai happily.

Everyone cheered and went to get the ball. They picked their captains which were Nakura (the bully) and some boy named Hakutsu. Neji joined Hakutsu's group as he didn't want to get involved with the school's biggest bully. He wasn't scared but he wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible.

The game started Nakura's group got the lead. Hakutsu's group soon caught up. With Neji in their team, they were good. Probably even better than Nakura's. But Neji kicked the ball too hard. It flew to the auditorium and broke a glass window.

The auditorium was where the girls were doing their stunts. Unfortunately, the ball landed where it shouldn't have.

"Ow! Who threw that!" exclaimed Tenten who was rubbing her head which was quite sore form the hit.

--

"Hey, Neji! Since you're the one who kicked the ball could you please get it?" asked Hakutsu.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go get it," said Neji.

He went inside the auditorium and looked for the ball. He hoped that it didn't hit anybody because he didn't want to be responsible for it.

"There it is," said Neji. He went to the corner where the ball was but he was blocked by somebody.

"What do you think you're doing? Were you the one who threw the ball! Huh!" asked Tenten. She was fuming. You could cook an egg on her head.

"For your information, it was _kicked_ and yes, it was me. I don't care if I hit you or not so move," said Neji coldly.

Tenten got even angrier than she already was so she slapped him hard on the cheek. "Move! That's all you can say!" screamed Tenten.

"Well, yeah. What do you expect me to say?" asked Neji, holding the side where she slapped him. It was bright red.

"How about 'I'm sorry'? That's easy enough!" said Tenten.

"What if I don't want to? What will you do?" asked Neji.

"I-I'll…" said Tenten.

"See. You couldn't do anything." Neji smirked as he picked the ball up and left without another word.

_That guy **really** is getting on my nerves! Ok, Tenten, don't let him get to you. Get back to practice and everything will be alright. I** hope**,_ thought Tenten.

--

_Hmm… that girl **is** something. No one even dared to do that to me,_ thought Neji.

"Hey, Neji! What happened to your cheek?" asked Rock Lee, running up to him.

"None of your business. Let's get back to the game," said Neji.

The game resumed. Nakura's group began to play dirty. In other words, they cheated. They couldn't bear to lose even if it was an unofficial match. The referee was Inuzuka Kiba. He wasn't able to anything because he was afraid of Nakura. He wouldn't go against him in fear of Nakura's capabilities.

He also felt sorry for Hakutsu's team who was suffering severe tackles and fouls. He knew that most of them would be seen later in the clinic with bruises and cuts. Some were already giving him pleading looks but he chose to ignore them.

But Neji has had enough. If his teammates weren't going to do something, he surely would. So, running at full speed, he tackled the opponent who was currently in possession of the ball. He got it and ran towards the goalpost. He did some really good footwork and succeeded in confusing the goalkeeper. He then kicked the ball hard and it hit the net. The game was over. The score was 8-7 in favor of Hakutsu's team.

As everyone left the grounds, Nakura was seen kicking the post. He seemed mad for being the loser. He doesn't take defeats that easily.

"Hyuuga Neji, just you watch. I'm going to make you pay dearly for this. Even if it's just a little game, I was humiliated because of you! I will find out what's your weakness. And when I do, just wait and see…" said Nakura.

--

"Hi, guys! You wouldn't believe what happened to me today," said Tenten rolling her eyes as she sat on their table. It was break time. Hinata, Ino, and Sakura were already there waiting for her.

"What?" asked Ino excitedly. She didn't seem to notice the sarcasm in Tenten's statement.

"Well, I just got hit on the head by a hard soccer ball at Gym. Not to mention that it hurts 'til now."

"Who did that to you?" asked Hinata, worried that Tenten might have gotten a concussion.

"The one and only Hyuuga Neji," said Tenten sarcastically.

"Him? Sure, he is cold but I never thought that he would do that to anybody especially girls. He didn't seem that type. Maybe it was an accident," said Sakura. She kind of knew what people were like just by looking at them. It didn't make sense.

"It _was_ an accident. But he talked to me in an unpleasant way. So I did what I would usually do: slap him," said Tenten.

The girls gasped. They hadn't expected Tenten to do that even if she was annoyed.

_And here I am, a fool for having a crush on him…_

--

_Author's notes:_

The chapters have been revised. There are changes and additions.

So here is the third chapter. Hope you liked it. Guess who thought that last line.


	4. Ouch! Mayhem at the Gardens

**Difference between Crush and Love**

**Chapter Four. Ouch! Mayhem at the Gardens**

Ino sighed. She was bored. History wasn't really her best subject. She absolutely despised it. They were supposed to jot down notes but she didn't bother with it. She could just copy Sakura's notes when there was going to be a quiz or something. She was sure that she wouldn't refuse. After all, you can't just let your very best friend fail a subject, can you?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a really loud snore. She looked around for the person who made the noise. She found out that it was Shikamaru, the lazy guy. Everyone else was looking at him, too. Their teacher, Asuma, stopped talking and became aware of this.

"Alright, class, settle down. Face front," ordered Asuma. He made his way to Shikamaru's seat and slammed the History book on his table. Shikamaru still slept on as if nothing happened. This amazed everyone. For one, the slam was hard and the sound it made echoed around the room. In fact, they all winced as they heard it.

Asuma cleared his throat and shouted at Shikamaru's ear, "HEY, YOU! WAKE UP AND PAY ATTENTION FOR ONCE!"

Shikamaru sat bolt upright and looked around wildly. When he saw Asuma, he groaned. _How troublesome. I fell asleep in class, so what? I know all this stuff already._

But in truth, he wasn't really aware of the height of his IQ. He was too lazy to even pick up a pen. It was a wonder that he passed his elementary days.

"That's it, Shikamaru. If you don't pay attention I'm going to have to send you to the principal's office. You don't want that now, do you?" said Asuma.

"No, sensei," replied Shikamaru. He yawned and opened his book.

"Good. Now that's what I want to hear." Asuma then resumed the lecture and for rest of the period, the room was filled with the sound of writing and the turn of pages. Soon after, the bell rang and everyone left hurriedly to avoid hearing any assignment for the day. Fortunately for them, Asuma didn't give any.

--

Hinata opened her locker and got her books for Japanese class. As she was heading towards the classroom, she heard laughter. She recognized the voice immediately for it was Naruto's. She wondered what had happened to make him laugh that hard. She turned around the corner and found him on the floor, laughing so hard that there were tears in his eyes. He was doubled over and was clutching his stomach.

It was then that Hinata noticed that there was another person in front of Naruto. It was Rock Lee. He was drenched in what is known as white paint. It turned out that someone played a prank on him. So when Lee opened his locker, the can of paint fell on his head. And now, his hair was completely white and hard. It didn't help that the paint was quick-drying.

Naruto still hadn't stopped laughing. He finally straightened and walked to where Lee was. Hinata thought that he was going to do something bad but Naruto only conked Lee.

"Hey! Your hair is so hard that I didn't hurt you at all! Wow!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Na-Naruto-kun, please stop making fun of Lee-san," said Hinata. She looked worried that he might get angry because of what she said.

"That's alright, Hinata. Lee doesn't mind, right Lee?" said Naruto with a bright smile on his face. He turned to Lee.

Lee regained his composure and said, "That's absolutely correct, Uzumaki-san. It doesn't bother me at all. I know that whoever did this—oh!"

He looked at his watch and took off running. They were going to be late if they didn't hurry up. Naruto and Hinata followed and were able to get in the classroom before the teacher came. They were going to get in detention if that was the case. They had no right to be loitering around the campus during class hours. Hinata had a perfectly clean record and wasn't about to tarnish it with tardiness.

"Ohayo. Please take your seats. We will begin our lesson momentarily," said Anko. She turned her back on them and began writing in Japanese characters on the blackboard. "Copy this in your notebooks and I will collect them after class."

Naruto blew her a raspberry and grinned at Hinata. She blushed and looked down on her table. She was going to have to control the blood flow to her cheeks but she can't. She just can't avoid blushing around Naruto. He was her crush after all.

Sometimes, she asked herself why she liked him. There were so many good-looking boys in her school so why him? She didn't know. She had no reason but all she knew was that her feelings for him were true. Back then, she just thought of it as a childhood crush and nothing more. But now that they were fifteen, she wasn't sure anymore.

She couldn't look at other boys because she has Naruto although he seemed oblivious to the fact that she likes him. She had already made up her mind. She was going to be a good friend and support him all the way until she was sure about her feelings. They were still too young.

She reverted to the board and began writing. She finished and passed her notebook to the front. Several others were finished, too.

When she got back to her seat, she found a piece of paper on her table. She looked around and saw Sakura smiling at her as if urging her to open it. She sat down and began reading. What she read made her blush madly.

_Naruto, huh? Don't think I haven't noticed, Hinata. I mean, it's so obvious! Don't worry, we'll help you. Reply._

_Sakura-chan! Arigatou. I have trouble with blushing. Perhaps you could help me?_ Hinata scribbled quickly and passed it to Sakura.

_Sometime later. I'll tell the others about this as well. I'm not experienced with crushes so it would be advisable to ask help from Ino and Tenten. I'm sure they'll be able to help out. We'll make plans at Ino's house later at 4._

Hinata looked at her and nodded. She couldn't believe that they were really going to help her! She had changed. She was more herself than ever. And for that, she was thankful for her friends.

"Naruto! Stop that!" shouted Anko.

Naruto was doodling on a piece of paper. He drew a caricature of Anko with her nose emitting steam. He made it look like she was a bull.

Anko raised it so the class will see. Everybody chuckled. Well, mostly everybody. Some even laughed loudly but the laughter ceased when Anko looked at them sternly.

"But you've got to admit I'm good, am I not, sensei?" grinned Naruto and made a peace sign to the class.

"That's it, Naruto. It's detention for you!"

Now, Anko really looked like the drawing and Hinata noticed it. Everyone else noticed it, too. They had to stifle their chuckles and giggles or they'll get detention too. And that's the last thing on their minds.

Naruto remained undaunted and still held his smile. He got up and went to the detention room. He was often sent here for his doings. Mostly for his pranks. He loved the attention. It was the only thing he could do to gain acknowledgement from others though not in a good way. He was recognized for his pranks and not his achievements.

When Naruto left the room, Anko continued her lesson but was unable to get order back. Everybody had amused smiles on their faces. She only hoped that they won't get ideas from Naruto. There would be utter chaos if that happened!

Hinata looked at Sakura and saw her wink at her. It made her blush again. She almost regretted ever showing hints that she liked Naruto. Now, her friends are teasing her! How will she be able to stand this? Will she be able to? She didn't think so.

The bell rang, signaling that it was their study period already and they can go out to the gardens or fields. For the girls, they chose the gardens at the center of the campus. It was a breezy and sunny day. The weather was perfect! The clouds were up high, forming nice patterns in the sky. They lay down on the grass and looked at them.

"The clouds are so nice. They make me feel free," said Ino. She had a dreamy look on her face as she said this.

"I agree," said Tenten, "But we really should have a head start in our math. Who knows, maybe there'll be seatwork."

"We could do some quick tutoring. I'll help the three of you. I've already read this last night and it seemed quite simple. You'd be able to understand it," said Sakura, opening her math textbook.

"Oh, Sakura. We know that you know this already but can we have just a little time to enjoy the weather?" groaned Ino.

"Alright. But don't tell me I didn't warn you. I'm pretty sure that there will be seatwork in math," said Sakura.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan. I need to study as well. I'm not really good at math," said Hinata.

"Not you too, Hinata," said Tenten. She sighed. "I guess it won't hurt to study."

"No fair! If you three study, then I'll study also! I don't want to be left behind like the other day when the two of you (pointing to Hinata and Sakura) went ahead on the way home!" Ino pouted.

Sakura and Hinata just smiled sheepishly. Tenten looked between the three of them and felt like an outsider. She wasn't there because they didn't meet her yet and become friends with her. She brushed it aside. It was no big deal. They were all friends now and that's all that matters.

Sakura noticed that Tenten was being left out and said, "Well, that's just about enough. If you want to learn, then learn from the master. I mean, mistress," Sakura grinned, scratching the back of her head.

"Then, shoot, O great Math Mistress," said Ino sarcastically. The four of them laughed and started reading.

--

The boys of First Year – B decided to go to the gardens also but to a different part. They were still in sight of the girls who were unaware that they were being watched.

The garden was beautiful. The grass was trimmed and the bushes had colorful flowers. There were cherry trees abound the garden. But one particular tree stood out from among the rest. It was perfect. It was also placed in the middle.

Their group consisted of Rock Lee who had nothing to do but follow the cool ones, Naruto who was finally able to get out of detention, Shikamaru who decided to tag along and watch the clouds, Neji who was going to the gardens anyway, and Sasuke who had nothing better to do.

Shikamaru was lying on the grass with his hands behind his head, watching the clouds as usual. Neji was sitting down Indian style. Lee was sitting with his legs stretched. Naruto was doing Indian seat also but with an elbow propped against his left leg. As for Sasuke, he was leaning on the trunk of a tree behind them. He had his right knee bent and extended his right arm on it.

"Sakura-chan is really pretty, don't you think?" said Lee with hearts in his eyes.

When nobody answered, Lee repeated his question again. And they still didn't answer. He got frustrated and backed off the conversation if there was even any.

Naruto couldn't help but blurt out, "Hinata-chan is kind of cute, in a way." For a moment he forgot that he was with Neji, Hinata's cousin and suffered under his cold deadly glare. He shut his mouth and kept his thoughts to himself.

_Mental note: Never talk about Hinata in the presence of Neji,_ thought Naruto.

"Psh. It's that annoying girl again. That one in the auditorium who had the guts to slap me," Neji muttered. Unfortunately, the rest of the boys heard and Naruto laughed.

"Geez, Neji. You didn't tell us about that one. We want to know all about it. And don't leave anything out. We want all the details," said Naruto, smiling in a teasing way.

"What if I don't want to tell? What would you do?" asked Neji.

"Oh, it's no problem. If you don't, we could just announce it to the whole school. I have connections," said Naruto, not looking at him.

Now, let's go to the quiet ones. Shikamaru thought it was too troublesome to even speak. Sasuke was preoccupied with whatever. In his mind, he was going through the formulas in math. Not that he needed to. He knew them by heart. It was just like a second nature to him. But he had nothing to do anyway so he resorted to doing that. As he thought of these, he was staring at the clouds just like Shikamaru.

"So, blackmail? Your method isn't really as effective as mine. But I have no choice but to tell you. Okay. Here goes. It was in Gym. We were told to do laps but we finished early so Gai-sensei allowed us to play soccer. There was Nakura's team and Hakutsu's. But one time, I kicked the ball too hard that it flew to the auditorium. It hit somebody's head. Her head (pointing to Tenten). So she got really angry and slapped me. That's all," related Neji, "Now, don't bother me with your nonsense."

Then there was complete silence. You couldn't hear any sound at all. But just then laughter rang throughout the area. This made the girls look at them. They stared at the boys as if they were crazy. They thought that they were laughing at them.

It was Naruto, again. He was laughing so much that day. Maybe he was high on ramen and not sugar. Could that even be possible?

Naruto found Neji's story amusing. It was not everyday that someone, especially a girl, would go slapping Neji on the face. Neji was often calm and collected just like Sasuke. They were alike but for different reasons.

"What are you laughing at! You think it's funny to laugh at people who are just studying?" Ino confronted them. She had got up and made her way to the boys to give them a piece of her mind.

"Ino! Stop that! You don't even know if what you're saying is true. You may have assumed wrong," said Sakura. The other girls had followed Ino to prevent her from doing anything rash that may lead to trouble.

"You should listen to her, girl. Do it for your own good," said Shikamaru. He sat up to tell them the real reason why Naruto laughed. "For your information, Naruto here was laughing at Neji. You see, this girl Tenten slapped him and he was telling us about it."

"Oh! Well, don't expect me to apologize. You deserve it! You didn't tell me before," screeched Ino.

"You didn't give us the chance to," said Lee.

"How troublesome," said Shikamaru.

"You dare call me troublesome!" thundered Ino.

"I-Ino-chan, th-that's e-enough," said Hinata meekly.

Ino didn't heed her and instead hit Shikamaru on the head with the thick math textbook. Hard. It resulted in Shikamaru becoming unconscious. Ino's eyes bulged and got as big as saucers.

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE!"


	5. Punishment!

**Difference between Crush and Love**

**Chapter Five. Punishment!**

The peace and quiet of Gakuen Tohoku was broken by a very loud shout of the one and only Uzumaki Naruto. Who else but the loudmouth? Well, it's all because of this one incident caused and started by Yamanaka Ino. They were all out in the gardens enjoying their break when Ino stomped up to the boys. The boys, on the other hand, had no idea what it was all about until she asked them what was so funny. They found out that it was a misunderstanding which Ino did not take lightly. The result was Shikamaru falling unconscious because of a fairly thick math book. And this takes us to the present.

Sasuke sighed heavily. This isn't the job for him! It's the janitors'. Oh, well, they can't do anything about it now. What with the meeting at the principal's office earlier.

_- Flashback - _

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE!"

All of them stood upright for before them stood the principal of Gakuen Tohoku, Tsunade-sama. And it wasn't a pleasant meeting at all. They were caught in a quite violent scene, in Shikamaru's case. And, of course, they had no time to cover it up with a story which would be very bad because then it would be lying and to a principal no less. So, it looks really bad. It seems that they would be late and excused for half their Math subject.

"U-Umm. Y-You see…" started Hinata meekly. She turned to her friends for support. She was disappointed for none of them wanted to explain the situation. They just averted to the ground, ashamed. Some friends they were.

Hinata gulped down her nervousness and was about to continue when someone interrupted.

"Excuse me. Who are you by the way?" asked Naruto, clueless. He had never met the new principal after all. He had only gotten to know the former who was Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. Sarutobi had retired recently.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. He didn't know her? That's a surprise. Everybody already knew her, the Fifth Hokage. This particular student reminded her of somebody, a certain hermit that was once a teammate of hers. But in looks, he resembles the Fourth Hokage, the former assistant principal who died a mysterious death.

Neji whispered to Naruto, "Tact, Naruto. That's the new principal, Tsunade-sama a.k.a. the Fifth Hokage. She's well known for her super strength and medical abilities. You don't want to get her mad."

"Ooh… okay!" replied Naruto. Tsunade gave him a questioning glance but he just sweatdropped.

"Okay, back to business. What were you doing to that student? Nara, was it? Would somebody please speak up now?" demanded Tsunade.

"This Ino here hit Nara with a math book on the head pretty hard if you ask me," said Sasuke coolly.

"Is that what really happened?" Tsunade turned to Ino who was quite shocked by Sasuke's sudden response.

Ino nodded vigorously, still taking in that she was speaking to the principal. And since she's got nothing else to say, she just kept quiet with her eyes averted to the ground.

Tsunade searched their faces for any signs of lying and when she found none, she told everyone who was present to come with her to the office. Everybody visibly paled when she said that but they've got to comply with the principal or else they'd get into deeper trouble. They followed her silently and arrived at the principal's office.

_These kids are pretty interesting. Better keep a close eye on them. Who knows what would happen next? Seems like they're the kind who stir up trouble wherever they go,_ thought Tsunade.

"Take your seats. Now, I want you to explain exactly how it happened. And this time I want only one person who'll do the talking. Mind you, no exaggerations," Tsunade said. She sat back on her chair and looked at them expectantly.

Sakura looked around her classmates and when she saw that no one was willing to speak up, she decided. She will be the one to explain. But, first, she wondered how to tackle the situation without being biased. Ino was her best friend after all and she couldn't just tell that everything was her fault since it was definitely not. She also considered the fact that the boys had their part in it as well.

"Ma'am, if I may. I would like to give you the details of the incident," she began in a businesslike manner, "You see, we were all out for break in the gardens. We girls were studying when we heard laughter coming from the boys' area. Ino had a thought that they were laughing at us since they were looking our way. She got quite angry and approached them. And hit Shikamaru on the head without thinking of the consequences and you know the rest."

"I see. Well, thank you for that, Haruno-san. And since it seems that you were all involved in this, I have no choice but to give you…"

_- End Flashback - _

Naruto's shout was for a reason. They had to face their punishment for that day. And that means cleaning up the rooms after school.

--

Sasuke sighed for the second time and glanced at his partner. They had to work in pairs since all of them couldn't do the same things at the same time or else the room would be quite crowded and it would be hard to clean up. And, in addition to that, they had to stay for a little while after the school let out to "finish what needs to be".

_For once, I have to agree to what Shikamaru's saying all the time. This **is** troublesome. I could have been at home already doing worthwhile things instead of cleaning up the dirtiest room of all. How come I was landed with this? _thought Sasuke irritably, _And why is she my partner?_

"Oi. Hand me that mop over there, will you?" said Sasuke, "And also that bucket while you're at it."

Sakura turned around slowly and stared at him. She was dumbfounded by what she heard. There she was minding her own business since she didn't want anything to do with him and suddenly he tells her to do something he could easily do himself!

"Um. Excuse me? Were you talking to me?" asked Sakura pointing to herself. She was annoyed by the way he addressed her. As if she was a lowly maid!

"Of course, I was. Do you see anybody else here in the room aside from me but you, stupid girl?"

Veins threatened to pop in Sakura's head. If it wasn't for the fact that she was facing _the_ heartthrob and a rather proud and strong one at that, she would have punched him senseless. But if she did that she would not only have to answer to the principal but also to the fan girls. So she did what any sensible girl would have done. She turned her back on him and went back to work.

"Hey, you stupid. Did you hear me? I said get the mop and the bucket!" snapped Sasuke having run out of patience.

"Oh, I heard you all right. It's just that you seem to be quite _able_ to do it yourself," said Sakura sarcastically.

Upon hearing this, Sasuke turned red in anger. He stormed across the room to get the things he wanted, all the while muttering things like "stupid" and "idiot".

Sakura was successful in making him angry. Maybe that way he would leave her alone and maybe then she could go home earlier. As she was gushing over her triumph, however, she heard a splash and a groan from a corner.

Sasuke had slipped and fallen. It turned out that there was water around the area of the mop and bucket and he didn't see it in his anger. Now the red on his cheeks seemed to be of anger and embarrassment. He wished that he was far away. He could have sworn he heard a giggle coming from the girl. That made him want to shrink and hide in a dark corner. But that would be a coward's choice. He was proud.

"So you think this is funny, don't you?" asked Sasuke with an evil smirk on his face. He was still sitting on the floor. His eyes were hidden and when he looked up at Sakura, they were filled with dislike.

"Oh my goodness…" Sakura trailed off. His eyes scared her at that moment. She knew he was up to something but she didn't know what it was until he stood up and picked up the bucket of dirty water. Then she had an inkling.

"You got that right," Sasuke said as he was walking slowly towards her. Sakura was about to run but he was way faster than she was and a few seconds later she found herself drenched from head to toe.

"You…! You…" Sakura couldn't find words to describe him. She was extremely annoyed at him. And this came to be a surprise because she was always somehow able to keep her cool.

"Me, what? Cat got your tongue?" Sasuke taunted.

_Okay, Sakura. Breathe. 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10… That's it. Calm down,_ thought Sakura.

"You know what? I won't bother myself with you anymore. I want to go home early so you better cooperate if you also want to get home early," said Sakura civilly. She took off her glasses and cleaned them. The water had made her vision blurred.

Sasuke was stunned by this kind of reaction. He had expected her to lash out and say things like how he ruined her uniform and hair and makeup. But he didn't get any of that. He had gotten a neutral reaction. Which was a first. And this unsettled him.

--

They soon had their work done. Sasuke headed home immediately without another word to Sakura. Sakura, in the meantime, waited for her friends at the lobby. They all came together with the boys some time after.

"Let's all head home now. It's getting late," said Tenten. She yawned loudly and stretched her arms.

"Great idea. I'm wasted enough as it is," said Hinata putting on her skates.

"But what about the sleepover? It's the weekends starting tomorrow," whined Ino.

"Oh! We totally forgot about it. We'll just go and get our things then head to your house, Ino," said Sakura.

The boys were preparing to leave while all this talk was going on and bid them farewell. Rock Lee hung around for a few moments to say, "Until the next time we meet, my dear Sakura-san!"

"That was so gross! You have _got_ to make him stop that, Sakura! You don't want to be leading him on, do you?" advised Ino.

"I feel sorry for the guy but you're right. I don't think he'd be giving up that easily though," said Sakura.

--

They rode home and met up at Ino's. Ino had already prepared everything for the sleepover. She had experienced a lot of sleepovers with Sakura always coming over to her house since they were very young. Those were the times when Sakura's parents were called away on business and had no one to stay at home with her.

Sakura's father was a well known lawyer. Her mother, on the other hand, was a doctor. It wasn't unusual for one of them or both of them were away since they almost always do it.

"Come in, you guys. We're going to have a blast!" Ino ushered them in.

They greeted Ino's parents and climbed upstairs to her bedroom. It was definitely feminine in theme. The wallpapers were a light shade of purple and the carpet was the color of cream. Ino had a dressing table with so much girly stuff. Her wardrobe was also the same. She's got everything in the latest fashion. You could find lots of shoes, bags, clothes, and other stuff in her walk-in closet. You could tell she won't be far from being known as the trendsetter in their school.

"Ino, your room is so cool! You could find everything in here!" exclaimed Tenten.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyways, what's your glitch, Hinata? Sakura's been telling me some things earlier about your….beloved! Yes, that's the word," winked Ino.

Hinata laughed nervously. She glanced at Sakura sideways and threw her a meaningful look.

Sakura was totally cool. She just shrugged and nodded to Ino. She meant that Hinata was on her own in Ino's interrogation. Sakura chatted with Tenten while the two were busy. She trusted Ino to figure something out for Hinata. After all, she was the expert in those kinds of things.

"You see. It's Naruto. I have the biggest crush on him since forever. Well, not exactly forever but you get the drift," babbled Hinata as she was twiddling her fingers.

Ino caught her hands to make her stop it. Hinata was surprised and stopped babbling at once. She thought that Ino would help her a lot in that case. Sakura couldn't give her that since she didn't have a crush on anybody. Tenten was different. She wasn't at all _that_ emotional if you put it that way.

"Okay, Ino. I'll listen to what you have to say. Shoot," Hinata decided.

"Good! Now, let's start by telling me everything. And not a detail short," said Ino as they sat on the floor.

"Problem is: I don't know what to say, how to act around him. You know that I'm always so shy around people and even more so when it comes to Naruto. I can't help blushing every time he's nearby. And when he talks to me, I couldn't find any words to say. I have mental block each time. Even the mere mention of his name makes me blush! So what do I do about it?" confided Hinata.

By now, Sakura and Tenten flopped down on the floor beside them and were listening intently to what Hinata was saying. They were all best friends and that's what best friends do. They want to help in any way that they can. Even if they weren't as experienced in dealing with the things that Ino specializes in.

"I only have one suggestion for you, my dear," said Ino.

"What is it? I really would like to know how to overcome this state. Tell me!" said Hinata.

Ino paused for a bit to achieve a dramatic effect.

"Just tell him."


End file.
